Friday, August 24, 2012

The KK Diaries: Finding a Home Away from Home

Day 2 - Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Dear Diary,

My friends woke me up at around 7AM. Still groggy, I tried my best to open my eyes. Now that I'm on a vacation, I shouldn't waste much time to make the most out of my trip. We ate breakfast at Casuarina Hotel, located a few meters away from our hostel.

Then, we checked out and boarded the 16A bus. For only 1.00 Rm, this is the cheapest ride to downtown Kota Kinabalu. Armed with maps and sheer determination, we explored downtown KK and finally found a place that we can confidently call 'home'.

It was around 11AM when we arrived at the central bus station. The heat of the sun was unbearable but my travel buddy, Brenna, loved it. She hadn't seen the sun for three weeks already, thanks to the monsoon rain that battered her hometown, Manila.

It was a Saturday so there were a lot of people waiting at the central bus station. Hence, siksikan sa loob, parang rush hour Manila MRT lang. But that didn't prevent me from sleeping inside the bus, diary. Traffic was terrible, instead of 10 minutes, it took us almost an hour before reaching our final destination. It was THAT terrible. But nevertheless, we alighted near the junction of Jalan Gaya and walked a few hundred meters before reaching Sensi Backpackers Hostel, our refuge here in KK. Beads of sweat poured on my forehead and on my back. The weather in KK was so hot and humid, diary! But I ain't complaining though.

We were really surprise on how clean and organized the hostel was. Interestingly, the caretakers of the hostel were all Filipinos! It's nice to know that someone speaks the same language. At least we won't get homesick.

After our 2-hour siesta, we left Sensi to explore more of downtown KK. Like my hometown, Davao City, KK is very organized and clean. Although, one thing that really bothered me was almost everyone in KK owns a car. I seldom find taxis and buses. People there either walk or ride their own car. Wow, sila na ang mayaman!

We entered Suria Sabah Mall and got astonished when I didn't see any security guards near the entrance. It was kinda new to me. But then again, nothing beats the malls of my beloved country - bigger, more choices and of course, MORE CROWDED.

We walked, played patintero with the fast-moving cars (holy schmuck), and walked a few hundred meters before reaching this particular spot. I surmised that a building used to stand right here on this particular spot. Interestingly, the columns were decorated with beautiful graffiti/street art. Street art for the win!

We went back to the hostel to freshen up, and I truly regret it. The sunset was so dramatic that the sky turned orange to red for several minutes. WE SHOULD HAVE STAYED AT THE WATERFRONT AND WITNESS THE BEAUTIFUL SUNSET!!! Despite that, we were still optimistic that tomorrow's sunset would be as beautiful as this one... or so I thought.

When the sun was completely down, we went back to the downtown area and eventually got lost. We studied the map and momentarily stayed on this particular square (I forgot the street)...

... when all of the sudden, a group of kids lighted a firecracker. Immediately, I ran away from it. IDK, I ain't used to firecrackers diary, blame it to Davao City's firecracker ban ordinance which was lifted last 2001. But I reckon it was a funny experience. LOL

For dinner, we decided to walk (again) and explore Waterfront. There, we met our hostelmates, Jaime and Alberto, both from Spain and Cho from Hongkong. We just basically chilled and talked about almost everything related to traveling - Alberto's love for the Philippines especially El Nido, Palawan, Cho's life in Hongkong and Singapore, Jaime's amazing experience in India and the list goes on and on and on. Surprisingly, the waitresses of Bar Tzar were Filipinas. It was nice to have a conversation with them for more than 10 minutes. Did a few kamustas and listened to their stories on how they ended up here working outside our beloved country. True enough, the nicest Filipinos that you'll meet are found outside the country. IMHO.

What I really loved about our trip, dear diary, was that we were not always in a hurry. Life in KK was laid back; it wasn't really THAT stressful compared to other major cities that I've been to.

So far so good. Tomorrow, we are planning to invade the upper part of KK. Hoping to see those picturesque mosques and the beautiful sunset at the waterfront.

'Til then diary. Still have to finish this one can of beer. And I tell you, San Mig beer tastes better and way cheaper in the Philippines!

I see more adrenalin rush to your 1st post about your travel to KK, maybe because of the onslaught of the rains in Manila where it almost hindered your adventure. So far on this post, it's just like a walk in the park.. Hope to read the continuation of your adventure in this place..:D

Your story made me recall the first I traveled abroad with my Mom & brother. We got lost also, good thing Singapore is English speaking country so its easy to ask help =)

I can see from your photos that KK is just like our beloved Davao City, laid back and relax, not too many tall buildings though from your story we have far more better malls than they have. Nice trip =)

I've been hearing a lot about Kota Kinabalu and I never thought that it was that pretty. I mean, iba kasi na-picture out ko nong narinig ko yung name. Anyway, I love the "street art" and also the hostel kasi bibihira ka naman makakakita ng hostel na katulad sa tinuluyan niyo plus the freebies too.

Subscribe now!

Followers

A trip to Disney World can be a vacation of a lifetime, but the cost can be too high for some families. A Disney timeshare resale can provide you with a luxurious accommodation at a heavily discounted price. If you decide later that you no longer wish to own the timeshare, simply get a timeshare value estimate from a licensed brokerage and then sell Disney timeshare on the resale market.